Absolution by LJ DeLeon Read Free Book Online Page B

all his preconceived notions. He no longer knew the players, friend from foe, and now understood how a drowning man felt. Yet, it changed nothing. He glanced at his nursemaid. “Are you Ouriel or Fritz?”
    The gargoyle shrugged. “In another time, Ouriel. In this life, Fritz.”
    Luc glared at the daemon and gargoyle. Once again, he was odd man out and it sucked. It certainly didn’t help that Rice, a daemon—even if he was on their team—knew more about his partner than he did. “Why the change in your name? How did you two become such good buddies?” They glanced at one to another as if trying to figure out how to answer.
    “We gargoyles are only ten in number and all male for a reason. We were Grace’s personal bodyguards, Paladins sent to protect her. We disagreed with her desire to usurp the Goddess and were cursed, turned into what you see before you. As long as she lives, we remain in this form.” He motioned down his gray, stone-like body. “Due to the nature of the curse, we cannot hurt or kill Grace. That will be up someone else, in another time and place. I fear the Goddess’ prison won’t hold much longer.”
    A tremor of dread shot through Luc. The only thing worse that the world could experience now was if Grace escaped her captivity. Seven months ago, she had been revered as a paragon of purity and the ideal of what the Goddess’ Holy Weapon should be. Since then, the entire supernatural world on Earth and Otherworld had learned the horrific truth. Grace had evolved into a paranoid megalomaniac killer. A racial purist of the worst order, she hated norms and half-breeds as much as she did the Dark Lord and his followers. “Were you Fae—Tuatha De Danaan like Padraig?”
    “No.”
    “The old man isn’t going to tell you more, not now.” Rice looked up at the sky. “We’re running out of time. It’ll be daylight in a couple hours.”
    One look at Rice’s mulish expression and Fritz’s stone face, Luc realized no more info was coming his way. He also had no warning before Crocker’s knife slammed into his abdomen and a report from Ted’s weapon echoed in the night air. Rice collapsed to the ground beside him, bleeding from just under his right shoulder.
    “Get the healer to help you. Deva’s summoned me.” Fritz stepped into a portal.
    Luc lifted his head off the ground, rolled onto his side, and pushed to his knees. Grabbing a stump, he pulled himself upright. He looked down at Rice, who lay on the ground, his breathing labored. “You coming?”
    Blood leaked from the corner of the daemon’s mouth. “I think the son of a bitch winged my lung...collapsed,” he said between gasps.
    “Get your glamour up and hold off repairing the damage. We need the healer to fix us up.” Ignoring Rice’s smug grin, he tripped his way from the woods.
    Five minutes later, Luc staggered into the cabin and paused under the blue glare of her eyes. Her fury drilled into him through the stasis cocoon. Even under the assault of her anger, every time he looked at her, he softened. She reminded him of the pastel of Allana, soft, sensual, inviting.
    But it couldn’t be her. She was in New York or D.C. searching for her daughters Sophie and Kate.
    He stumbled toward her, his hand clasped to his oozing wound. “Earl won’t be back. My partner and I took care of him.”
    Her eyes widened, her porcelain complexion paled to ash. She licked her lips, her gaze glued to his face.
    He moaned and collapsed beside her on the bed. “Blink once for yes if you understand me, twice for no.” She blinked once. “There are two parts to the oath I demand from you.” He reached a hand for her and hesitated, aware his touch would nullify the stasis. “Do you vow to the Goddess, on her good name and all that is holy, you won’t escape if I release you? You’ll heal the knife wound on me and the gunshot on my partner.”
    She blinked once.
    “Do you also vow that afterwards you won’t flee or teleport away? You’ll